Tags
528 Gareth Court, Baby-Steps, Bicycle Seat Height, Bicycling, Cal Kelly, Cary North Carolina, Comfort Zone, Connie Lehn, Dan Inks, Efficiency, Kildaire Farm Road, Menlo Manner, Menlo Manner Subdivision, Quixote Lane, Samantha Lehn, US Highway 1
Cal, Connie, and Samantha Lehn, standing with bicycles ready on the Lehn’s driveway as they prepared for Dan Inks to take them on a leisurely, guided bike tour of the adjacent Wimbledon neighborhood, had been asked by Dan if he could please adjust 11-year-old Sam’s seat height.
“Sure,” Sam said, as she stepped over the frame in compliance with her neighbor’s urging.
“Hmm,” Dan vocalized, “weren’t you ever a Boy Scout? Gotta have your helmet on if you’re straddling your bike. My bad, should have said so first.”
Sammy, rolling her eyes, put her helmet on and clasped the buckle. “Thanks,” Dan said with a nod. “Con? Would you hold the handlebar please? Sammy, sit on your seat?” Sammy complied, sitting on her seat with both feet flat on the ground. “Wow, that’s crazy low. If we raise it some it’ll be way easier for you to pedal. Wanna give it a try?”
“Sam, looking at her mothers, said, “Uh, sure?”
“He’s right, sweetie,” Cal interjected. “It’s much easier to pedal with your seat at the proper height.”
“It is,” Dan said, “but we’re going to try this in baby-steps. Hop off a minute please?” he asked. Sam got off the bike and Dan raised the seat three inches, which made Sam’s eyebrows rise nearly as much.
“That high?!” she exclaimed.
“Probably should be higher, but we’re taking baby-steps. Straddle it again, please.” Sam straddled the bike and Dan said, “Connie? Hold the handlebar while Sammy sits.” Both complied and Sam was able to get her toes to the ground but could no longer sit with her feet flat. “Sam? I’m going to have Connie let go of the handlebar? You’ll be fine, but you’ll have to hold yourself up, okay?”
“Okay,” she answered, her voice sounding anything but.
“Connie?” Dan prompted.
Sam tensed but was easily able to sit on her bike without falling over. “Feel okay?” Dan asked. “Weird, but okay?”
“I guess?”
“Try it down the driveway? Don’t forget to look for cars.”
“Sure,” she said uncertainly before checking for cars then rolling down her driveway and circling Gareth Court proper three times, her smile growing bigger with each revolution.
“Okay, now try stopping. You’ll be able to get your toes to the ground while on your bike seat, but you won’t be able to sit and have your feet flat on the ground. Give it a shot!” Dan prompted.
Sam nodded, applied her handbrakes and, after successfully putting both feet on the asphalt without wobbling smiled and said, “Seems fine!”
“Do it again, sweetie,” Connie urged.
“What mom said,” Dan reiterated. “Circle and stop three times.”
“Okay,” Sam said with a shrug before circling and stopping.
“Good. Two more times,” Dan urged before turning to Connie and asking, “What about your seat height? Looks pretty low.”
“What? No,” she said dismissively with multiple minute headshakes, “I’m fine.”
“Why don’t you try?” Cal asked. “It just takes a second to change it.”
“Oh my gosh,” Connie said rolling her eyes, “you two are too much. Fine. Whatever. What do you want me to do?”
“I want you to raise your seat to a height where you can’t touch the ground without stepping down from the seat, but let’s start with raising your seat like we did Sam’s. Just to the point where you can get your toes to the ground when you stop.” Dan said before looking up and saying to Sam, “Your mother’s going to join you. Circle, circle, stop, stop! Connie?”
“I said I’d try,” she replied shaking her head then putting her helmet on.
“K. Your Trek has a quick release seat-post like Sammy’s so all we have to do is flick this open,” he said as he opened the QR, “raise your seat,” he added as he brought it up about three inches, “and close it,” he concluded as he closed the quick release.
“That high?!”
“Just sit please?”
“Fine,” Connie said as she sat and stretched her toes to the ground while seated. “Feels creepy.”
“Kinda what Sammy said,” Cal interjected, “and look at her go!”
Shaking her head and rolling her eyes Connie rolled down the slight slope of her driveway and started circling the court.
“Okay,” Dan said, “I’m going to count to three and then I want both of you to stop. One, two, three, stop!”
Sam’s stop was wobble free but Connie glitched a bit without falling. “Again! Circle!” Mother and daughter circled, Dan repeated his, “One, two, three, stop!” with marked improvement on Connie’s part. “Much better! One more time and we’ll go. Circle!” he commanded again before enunciating his countdown.